A Voice in the Dark
by oOAnime AngelOo
Summary: *Complete...it has been for a while* When Jim gets hurt while trying to protect Melfina, the bio android sets out on her own. Lotsa Melfina angst through Jim torture *my this is corny* and the works. Some swearing, not a lot though.
1. The Price of Being Mel

A Voice in the Dark

By: Anime Angel^0^

* I do not own this show (Outlaw Star) though I wish I did! //^_^\\ This fic sorta takes place somewhere inbetween all of the episodes I guess. It could take place afterwards....If you don't want it that way you could always, like, think of it as something that could of happened. Also, I am a big Jim/Melfina fan (her thinking of him as a son and him thinking of her as a mother) I didn't notice this whole thingy until like far into the series (uncut version) It may seem kinda cruel or something but that's just the way I write. And yes...I do have a pln for the name: A Voice in the Dark. You will just have to wait and see. Please r/r and enjoy my ficcy!

"JIM! We have no food!" Melfina's quiet voice called into the hall. She did another search throught the refrigerator before giving up. "Where's Gene?" she asked.

"I think he went out to have some fun," Jim's muffled voice came in through the door.

"We need food!" Melfina complained. "I don't have anything to make dinner and it's getting late!"

Jim peered in through the door, his face covered in dust from their luggage. "I have some money, if you want to go get some," he suggested. "It would give you a chance to get out of this apartment and get some fresh air."

Melfina looked up at him. "Will you come with me?" she asked in a hopeful voice. 

Jim smiled. "Sure!"

*****

"Mel!!" Jim stumbled around the corner of one of the many food stands at the "Get it Cheap" mart. Though he was happy about getting out of the small apartment Gene had picked out for them, he was not too glad about being Melfina's food cart.

"Don't worry we're almost done Jim." Melfina scanned her list one last time. "Oh wait!" She disappeared around a corner and returned with a jar. She added it to the pile of food Jim was already carrying. "Okay! We're done!" she announced.

"Glad to hear it," Jim mumbled.

After paying for all of the food, they headed back. They were on foot; Gene had taken the car.

"I'm gonna have a talk with Gene about _asking _to use other people's property," Jim decided. He shook his head in disgust and shifted the weight of the groceries to his left arm. "It was _my _car ya know."

Melfina silently grinned at jim's complaining. "At least he left you some money--" Without warning, Melfina was pulled back into a dark alleyway. She yelped in surprise. "Jim, HELP!"

"Mel!" Jim dropped his heavy load of groceries and ran after her. The large man who had grabbed Melfina was now dragging her into a large, empty parking lot. He threw Melfina onto the ground.

"So, your the android girl my employer wanted," he sneered. He circled her like a rabid dog. "Ya know, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were a real girl." He bent over her small form and examined her features. "Very realistic--"

"Leave her alone!" Jim ran full speed at the man, knocking him flat on his back. "Mel, you okay?" Jim helped her up off of the ground.

"Why you little....." The man rose to his feet, and in the process his cloak fell to the pavement. On his arm, standing out against his pale skin, was the mark of the bounty hunter gang called Imitsu. Jim knew them, they were a notorious gang of bounty hunters. Not all of them were well-known, but they were provided with the best training and weapons around.

"Why are you after ... me?" Melfina's voice quavered.

"I'm bein' paid...that's why."

Jim, seeing Melfina's fear, postitioned himself in front of her. Despite the fact that the rough looking bounty hunter was about four feet taller than him, he was ready to take him on.

"Move out of the way kid. It'll make both our lives a lot easier..." The man was about eight feet tall, and was obviously an alien of some sort. He was well built, and looked ready to take on anything. With an angry glare in his eyes, he stepped menacingly toward Jim.

"Leave us alone, mister," Jim said again, his eyes furrowed in anger and frustration. He began to back away as the man closed in on him.

"Fine kid, you wanna fight? You got it." With one swift movement he knocked Jim to the ground. The hunter advanced on Melfina.

"NO!" Melfina cried. Jim swung his legs under the larger man, tripping him.

"That's it. I've had enough of you ya son of a --" The man grabbed Jim and, moving swiftly and deadly, proceeded to beat his smaller victim.

"Jim! Stop it!" Melfina backed away. She wasn't sure what to do at all.

The bounty hunter threw Jim to the ground. Melfina winced as his small body crunched on impact with hard earth. The pirate, now thouroughly ticked off, lifted Jim up again. His smaller opponent wriggled in his grasp, but it did nothing to help.

Loosening his hold, the man let Jim fall to the ground. As soon as the boy was down, he positioned his foot on Jim's chest. Melfina watched in anger and horror as he began to crush his victim. Jim's small body began to give out, and he wriggled in pain under the man.

"Stop!" Melfina tried to move, but she was afraid of what the bounty hunter could do to her. She took a step forward, but couldn't go any further.

With a focused grunt, the man dug his heel into Jim's chest. The boy let out a starngled cry as his ribs began to crack, but the hunter continued to mercilessly beat him. After a few more blows to Jim's already broken body, the man backed off. Like a hungry shark, he watched his victim struggle to get up. Jim's movements to rise soon became sluggish, and he collapsed onto the pavement, his body limp. Tiny spots of blood matted his blond hair, and his arms and legs were bruised and mangled.

The hunter, satisfied his opponent was down for good, smiled. He picked up Jim's unconscious form and tossed him at Melfina.

She flinched when Jim landed at her feet, but then rushed to help him. Before she could do anything , the bounty hunter pulled her away. Her body fell against his and he grinned.

"You are realistic," he said. "Even the emotion in your eyes..." The man stared at her for a moment. She struggled in his hold, but he only pulled her closer. "Ya know, I might just keep you for myself--"

A shot pierced the darkness. It seemed like forever until the hunter collapsed onto the ground, a small bullet hole in his back.

"MEL!"

Melfina let out a sigh of relief at the sound of Gene's voice.

"Gene!" she cried. "Help Jim. Please!"

*****

Gene Starwind laid Jim's crumpled body onto one of the beds in their apartment. He gingerly began pulling off his younger partner's jacket and shirt.

"Mel."

"Yes....Gene?" Her voice quavered.

"Get me some cloth bandages from the large box in the hall will ya'?"

"May I ask, Gene, why we aren't taking Jim to a medical facility?"

"Because now this guy, whoever employed the bounty hunter, knows where you are. The first place he'll check is a hosptal."

With a slight nod, Melfina went to get some bandages. She handed Gene the package, and he began to patch Jim up.

With a loud bang, Aisha burst through the door. "WHAT'S GOING ON--" She stopped. Her eyes shifted from Melfina to Gene (who was now sitting on the bed) to Jim's still body. Her happy mood darkened. "What happened?" she whimpered.

*****

Gene hurredly handed a pile of clothes to Aisha to pack. She stuffed them into one of their many suitcases. They needed to get out of the city, and fast. If the bounty hunters knew where they were, then they would take no time in finding out where Gene and Melfina had checked in. He finished packing all of Jim's things and then called for Melfina. When she didn't come, he figured that she was probably in the other room with Jim.

"Melfina, we need to get out of here!" Gene burst in through the door, and then stopped. His eyes shifted towards the corner of the room. There, sitting in a small wooden chair, was Melfina. Her eyes were focused downward on a large lump in her lap. With sudden surprise, Gene realized that she was holding Jim. His bandaged head was cradled in her arm, and his limp legs dangled downward. He realized that she was singing to him. The words were soft and gentle, something Gene had never heard before. The whole scene reminded Gene of a mother with her child.

"Mel..." He wasn't sure what to say. Melfina stopped singing and looked up at him with sorrowful eyes.

"Gene...I..." She lowered her head. "He was getting restlesss. I didn't know what to do so I....I figured if I held him he would...."

Gene walked over to her and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay," he said. "No harm done." He carefully lifted Jim out of her arms. "Why don't you go join Aisha in the car. I'll be right there," he whispered.

*****

Melfina silently scolded herself as Gene slowly drove to the next city. She felt worthless. Thoughts haunted her like a ghost, and she couldn't make them go away. _It's my fault that his happened. My fault that Jim was hurt, my fault that Hilde was killed, my fault....my fault that we're running. _She pulled on a loose button that was hanging off of her blue outfit. The outfit that Jim had picked out for her...

"Mmmmmmm..." Jim moaned restlessly. His head shifted in her lap, and he turned to face her. His eyes slowly opened. "Mel?"

Melfina smiled down at him, and Gene stopped the car.

"Hey sleepy head, ya woke up!" Gene exclaimed. He grinned at his little 'brother'.

Slowly, _very _slowly, Jim began to sit up. He rubbed his eyes.

"Where...where are we?"

"Gene decided we should ...um...leave!" Aisha informed him.She hopped over the front seat and into the back. "Soooooooo...did it hurt?"

Melfina shooed her away. "I think it would be best if Jim just rested at the moment..."

Aisha pouted, her whiskers scrunching up. "Fine!" She moved back up front.

Jim suddenly jerked up. "MEL!" he exclaimed. "You all right?! What happened?!" He winced and laid back down in the seat. With a sigh he looked up at Gene.

"I'm fine Jim," she reassured him. "Gene came along and saved me..."

"You got that right!" Gene boasted. "Why if it weren't for me Melfina woulda been dead meat on a stick--" He paused. Jim had fallen back asleep, his head resting on the seat. "Jeez, am I that boring?" Gene started the car back up.

A few hours later the group arrived at a small hotel. Suzuka was there waiting for them. She had checked everything out, just to make sure it was safe. Now she stood with her sword in hand, a frown on her face.

"What is it?" Gene asked, carrying Jim up to the curb.

"I found out who's after Melfina," she said quietly.

"Oh yeah, who's it this time?" Gene wasn't joking, of that Suzuka could tell.

"A man by the name of Disona." She pulled out a card. On it was various information, including the name Disona Cant, and a phone number.

"Never heard of this guy." Gene studied the name carefully.

"He's a big time business man. He heard of the Outlaw Star and now he's obsessed with making an exact duplicate. He needs Melfina to finish it."

Gene frowned. Big time business man meant big time bounty hunters.

"Gene?"

He turned around to find himself face to face with Melfina.

"Maybe I should leave..." Her soft eyes shifted to Jim. "I don't think that being here is safe for you or--"

"Now don't start thinkin like that Mel." Gene put the man's card in the pocket of Jim's jacket. "You are no trouble whatsoever ya hear?" He stared her straight in the eye. "Hmm?"

"I'm sorry Gene," she whispered. Brushing past him, she made her way into the hotel.

When she got to their new room, she plopped down onto the soft bed. Looking out the window, Melfina could see Gene, Aisha and Suzuka standing on the street corner. Her eyes blurred. _It's my fault they all look so worried..._

Hot, wet tears started to roll down her cheeks. She had never felt like this before. With a shaky hand, she wiped them. _It's my fault that Jim is hurt, and now the others could get hurt also. Why did I have to be created as an android? _The tears fell freely now, but she didn't wipe them off. _If they hadn't have rescued me, Gene wouldn't have been force to leave his home planet. They wouldn't have been attacked so many times by pirates and bounty hunters. They all would have a lot less to worry about..._ She stood up and wandered into the bathroom. Staring into the mirror, Melfina saw a human girl. Dark hair, large eyes. She recalled what the bounty hunter had said. 'So realistic...' _Too realistic. Too special,_ she thought. _Created for one purpose, and one purpose only._

With one final look in the mirror, she decided that she could no longer cause her friends any pain. _I have to correct everything I've done to them..._

> > *****

It was one o clock am. Melfina had set the time that evening. She had made sure that only she could hear its high frequency waves so it didn't disturb the others. 

Being careful not ot make any noise, she tiptoed into Gene's bedroom. She studied all of his bags carefully before opening the one with a red star mariking it's tag.

"Sorry I have to steal, Gene," Melfina whispered. She took out as much money as she would need, and then made her way out of the room. She took one last look at Gene's sleeping form before closing the door. _Goodbye..._

Next she grabbed her blue outfit, and a couple of Suzuka's robes. Melfina knew that they would be too big, but she would need them anyway. She felt terrible about the stealing, but it was better than jeopardizing their lives.

After a few minutes of silent packing, Melfina was ready to leave. Before she went, however, she made her way to Jim's room. His soft snoring met her ears as soon as she entered the room, but it didn't bother her. Slowly, she made her way to his bed.

"Goodbye Jim." Melfina felt the stinging of tears in her eyes again as she pulled the covers up to his chin and softly said goodbye. "I'm sorry..." 

To be continued...

*Well? How's it sound so far? It sucks? It's okay? I NEED OPINIONS! Generally my writing isn't that good, but at least yall know what the crew looks like, eh? Well....hope you read the rest...


	2. And Why Did She Leave?

A Voice in the Dark

By: Anime Angel ^0^ 

Melfina slowly made her way to the door. As she stepped into the hall, she heard a noise behind her. It was Jim, she knew. He had probably heard the door open, but Melfina wasn't sure. She slipped back into his room.

"Mel..." he mumbled. Melfina looked down at him, and was surprised to find that his eyes weren't open. _He's still sleeping..._

Jim's eyelids fluttered. Afraid he would wake up, Melfina began to softly hum the song she had sung to him the night before. He stirred, but then quieted down. 

She stopped humming the song she knew too well, but then began to sing it instead.

Though she had promised herself she wouldn't cry, tears began to roll down her cheeks. They were warm, and stung her skin as they came rolling out of her eyes.

"Goodbye, all of you. I am so sorry." Jim murmured at the sound of her whispering. "I don't know who I am, I'm only putting you all in more danger. I need to go where it's quiet, where I can think things over. Someplace where no one will find me." She spoke to him a little longer before making her way to the front door. Promising herself never to look back, Melfina left.

*****

"GENE WAKE UP!" Aisha's voice echoed through the hotel room. "Melfina's GONE!"

Gene slowly opened his eyes, wincing as bright light hit them. "Wha--"

"SHE'S GONE I TELL YA! I went to go get her so she could make breakfast AND SHE LEFT A NOTE!!! SHE LEFT!" Aisha began to cry. "NOW WE'LL NEVER FIND THE GALACTIC LEYLINE--"

"Whaddya mean she left?"

Aisha pulled a crumpled note out of her pocket. "Just like it says Gene...Goodbye...bladahbladahyadda I can't cause you anymore pain....bladha ... I am leaving..."

Gene studied the letter for a long time. Could it be true? He recalled what she had said when they first arrived. 'Maybe I should leave...'

Gene swore and hopped out of bed. Melfina had done it; she had left. _Even after I told her not to..._

He threw on some clothes, but when he went to look for his money, some of it was missing. "Great...great..."

"Maybe she's at another hotel or somethin'! WE SHOULD GO AND--"

"Aisha, just let me think woulda?!" Gene snapped. He left the Ctarl Ctarl looking dumbfounded, and made his way into the kitchen. He sat down and sighed. "Whattam I gonna do now..."

"Aniki?" Gene whirled around, only to find himself face to face with a very tired looking Jim.

"Jim! What are you doin up buddy," Gene asked nervously. "Um...you should still be in bed..."

"What's the matter Aniki? What happened, and why is Aisha freakin out?!" Jim demanded. His eyes narrowed.

"Well um...." Gene sighed. His partner was going to be upset. "Melfina sorta--" Aisha came running into the room screaming.

"MELFINA LEFT!" she screeched, cutting Gene off. He was actually sort of relieved that he didn't have to tell Jim himself.

"Wha...whadda mean she left?" Jim frowned. "You mean she ran off?"

"Exactly." Gene unfolded the note. "Here."

Jim took it with a shaky hand. He read it slowly, as if he were trying to figure out what the message would have sounded like coming from her. After a few moments, he lifted his head. His bright, usually happy blue eyes were clouded over. 

"Melfina..." Jim's voice trailed off, and, without another word, he got up and left the room.

To be continued...

*ooooooooO! That chapter was not too fun to write....IT IS WAY TOO SHORT! But there is more...YES THAT'S RIGHT FOLKS! MORE! Of course, you are probably all sick of my writing now, ne? Anywho, if you wanna read a good fic, read Bounty Hunted in this OLS section...IT IS JIM ANGST AND TORTURE! *giggles* I luv the boy so much....so why do we all like to see him suffer....


	3. Jim and Gene to the Rescue!

A Voice in the Dark

By: Anime Angel ^0^

"Jim?" Gene walked carefully into his younger partner's room, not wanting to upset him. Jim was sitting on the bed, staring at the floor. He didn't move as Gene approached. "Jim...we'll find her. Don't worry."

"Why...why would she leave?"

Gene sat down next to his partner, and looked down at him. "Well..." He didn't know what to say. "I guess she just felt like...um..." He stopped. What could he say? Melfina and Jim were close, he knew, and not even he knew why Melfina would want to leave her only family.

"I thought she was ... with us now. Why would she feel like she was trouble?" Jim looked up at Gene. His face was still bruised, and one of his eyes was swollen shut, but Gene could still see the disappointment in his crystal blue eyes. "Was it something I did, Aniki?" he whispered.

"I don't think it was anything any of us did, Jim."

*****

Melfina looked up at the large hotel sign in disgust. It was rusty and molding in the corners, but with the small amount of money that she had taken, she couldn't afford anything else. An old beat up sign hung from a few hinges just above her head. It read: 'The Satr Gazer's Hotel'. _Satr,_ she thought to herself, _Gene would get a kick out of this one._

"Can I help ya ma'am?" the clerk slurred as she entered the building. It was obvious to her that he was drunk, but she didn't say anything about it.

"Um...I would like to get a room...please?" Her request was answered with a deep and gurgley laugh that chilled her body. 

"Here? A pretty lil lady like yaself? Why, I'm flattered, but we 'ave no rooms miss!" His belly began to jiggle as the man let out another laugh.

"Oh...well thanks anyway." She was about to leave, when he pulled her back.

"Ya could come stay in my room if ya like miss..." She pulled away from him in disgust, and exited the building.

As she headed alone down the street, Melfina noticed that a man across the way was staring at her. His face was covered, but she had the feeling that she was being followed. Quickening her pace, she rounded the corner into a grocery store. As she had figured, he followed her in.

"Excuse me, have you seen a young lady with dark hair round here?"

As he began to ask around for her, Melfina quickly lost herself in the many aisles of the store. She moved quickly around a corner of cans, and ran into the man.

"There ya are..." Making sure she couldn't make a noise, the man dragged her out of the back door. She felt a blow to her head, and then everything went black.

*****

"ANIKI!" Jim limped through the door of his partner's room. As usual, Gene had fallen asleep. Unfortunately, it was also the middle of the day, which meant that it was Jim's job to wake him up. "WAKE UP IT'S TIME TO GO OUTSIDE!!!" Jim climbed carefully onto Gene's bed, only to be nearly strangled by his older partner.

"Mmmmmmmm....Nancy....." Gene pulled Jim closer. "So warm...smell like flowers..."

"Eeewwww...ANIKI!" With one swift whack, Jim knocked his partner over the head. Gene jerked up.

"Wha...Wha....JIM!"

"Come on Gene, we gotta go look for that guy today, remember? We can't very well do that if you're sleeping!"

"Fine, fine, yeah yeah I'm goin'." Gene pulled himself out of bed, and got dressed. Then he and Jim headed out to look for the man named Disona Cant.

*****

"Hmmmm..." Melfina moaned as she slowly sat up in bed. She knew immediately where she was, and what had happened: she had been caught by the man that had been looking for her.

As her eyes sweeped the room, she noticed that it was very richly decorated. A finely decorated table lay in the corner, and flower vases covered it's surface. Next to it was another finely decorated chair, with red velvet seat coverings and goldish looking threads. A large painting hung on the wall next to her, and the woman in the picture seemed to be staring straight at her. With sudden realization, she realized that the woman's eyes were really two small cameras.

"Good afternoon miss Melfina, did you enjoy your nap?" A large man, she realized, had somehow entered her room without her knowing. He was somewhat short, and very overweight. He was richly dressed, and even had a gold pocket watch hanging down his suit. "My name is Mr. Cant." The words were stated simply. Melfina noticed the somewhat taller man following closely behind him. It was the guy that had kidnapped her.

"You...you were the one who wanted me, weren't you?" she said stupidly. Melfina already knew the answer, but for some reason she needed to ask anyway.

"Why yes, and I finally get to meet you." He waddled over to her, and placed a cold hand on her cheek. She jerked back with disgust.

"Don't TOUCH me!" she growled. Surprised at her own anger, she fell silent again.

"And why shouldn't I? I spent a lot of money and time looking for you, so I can do whatever I WANT WITH YOU!" He smacked her across the face, leaving a large red mark. "I am your new owner..."

"I....I....I don't belong to anyone!" Her voice quavered, and Cant smiled at her bold remark.

"Oh really? Then what were you doing with those other two. Were you all _friends?" _he sneered.

"You monster. Jim and Gene care about me. And Gene's gonna come and rescue me, just like he did before!"

Cant let out a deep throated bellow of laughter. "Oh yes, Gene Starwind gonna fight all my men and come to save you! Ha...he couldn't even get there in time to save his little kid!"

Melfina turned red, and felt stinging in her eyes again. She was scared, and began to shake.

"And besides, why would they want to come after someone who doesn't feel the same way about them?"

Melfina's face softened. "Wha...what do you mean?"

"You ran away, didn't you? Now don't you think that would tell them that you don't need them anymore?"

She didn't know what to say. With a sudden guilty jerk, she realized that she may have hurt them both more than help them. She knew that they cared about her, so what would they think now?

"I...."

"Exactly. They're not coming after you, girl. You might as well get used to it. Why would they? That boy got all beat up for you, and all you could do was run away. That's the thanks you gave them." With that said, Cant turned around and left. The darkly clad man waited for a second, before following after his boss, leaving Melfina to think about what she had done.

"Gene...."

*****

"WHERE IS HE???!!!" Gene threw the gambler onto the ground. He and Jim had found out what kind of business Cant was in, and now they were 'talking' to some of his associates. "Where does he LIVE!" Gene yelled.

"I...I DON'T KNOW..I" the man whimpered.

"Of course you do....YOU DO BUSINESS WITH HIM DON'T YOU?!"

"Well...I...I...ASK TIM!!" He pointed to a smaller man watching quietly in the corner of the room. Gene turned to face him, and he jerked back.

"ME?!" He yealled. "I DON'T KNOW NOTHIN'!"

Gene advanced on the man, and lifted him off the ground.

"C'mon now, ya gotta know something. What's he payin ya, huh? Is it worth LOSING AN EYE?!" He raised a fist up menacingly.

"Okay OKAY! I'll...tell ya. He lives in this large building!" Gene tightened his grip. "THE CORNER OF CAROB AND SANCHEZ!"

Straightening up, Gene dropped the man onto the floor of the bar. "There, that wasn't so hard now was it?"

With that said, the two partners left the building.

As they headed towards the location that the 'business associate' had described, they could see the building even before they got there.

"What the hell...." Jim's eyes were fixed on the building. "It's huge!"

Gene looked at the large building in disgust, and realized that this guy, Disona Cant, had to be the richest guy on the planet. He decided that , even though he had never met the man, he hated him.

When the two got to the building, they were surprised to find that it wasn't very heavely guarded at all. However, as they opened the gate to go inside, a voice stopped.

"How may I help you?" It was soft and sweet sounding, with a hint of an accent. Gene didn't like it.

Seeing that his partner wasn't going to answer, Jim took the liberty. "Um, we would like to see Mr. Disona Cant?" He paused, and nothing happened. "Please?"

"Much better, what a polite boy. May I ask your name?" The voice seemed to sing the words.

"Um....that would be John Hawk and..." He looked up at the grumpy Gene. "George Winder."

The microphone was silent for a bit as Gene grumbled about the stupid name Jim had given him, but soon the voice came back on. "I am very sorry young man, but Mr. Cant does not have an appointment with you. Would you ike to make one?"

Gene pulled the microphone toward him. "Listen up Mr., we don't _need_ an appointment, SO LET US IN!" he growled.

"Oh MY!" the voice exclaimed. "You really should learn from your friend what POLITE means." With that said, the sound box turned off.

"What?!" Gene tore the thing off of it's hook, and threw it to the ground. "We'll come back later with Suzuka and Aisha."

*****

Melfina curled herself up on the small bed as best she could. It was getting late and she was exhausted. Not ony this, but the man and his 'friend' had not come back since the last time. As she closed her eyes, Melfina began to think.

_Gene, Jim, what have I done? _She gingerly felt the small bruise forming on her cheek. _You were so good to me and...and all I could do was leave you._ But then more thoughts arrived. _But what if I had stayed? Both of you would be dead, or hurt._

Feeling a sudden chill, Melfina searched the bed for any form of blankets. Finding none, she laid back down. Feeling sleepy, she soon drifted off into a deep sleep, convincing herself that what she had done was right.

To be continued...

*Okay...even I know that chapter sucked....HOPEFULLY THE OTHERS WILL GET BETTER! hey, if you wanna comment, just review it for me! Feel free to flame, I enjoy them very much. *evil laughs*


	4. Trouble for the Trio

A Voice in the Dark

By Anime Angel ^0^

Melfina awoke sometime the next evening. She had been keeping pretty good track of time, so she had figured she had slept most of the day. She wondered briefly if everything had been a bad dream...a nightmare.

But what she saw was not the happy face of Jim coming to wake her up in the morning, nor the hungry face of Aisha. There was no goofy Gene, and no serious Suzuka. Gilliam was not sitting beside her on the bed. It was all just as it had been before she had fallen asleep: small room, rich furniture, and emptiness.

Overcome by a sudden feeling of anxiety, Melfina collapsed once more onto her bed, wondering if this was to be her new home.

*****

"GENE! SLOW THE HELL DOWN!" Aisha screamed at the top of her lungs as Gene sped down the empty road. He was in a hurry, she knew, but she was being thrown about like a cheap piece of cloth! She was relieved when their car stopped in front of a large gate. No one hesitated to get out.

"Wait here with the car, Jim. If it gets ugly I'm gonna need some backup."

Jim saluted at Gene's usual orders. "You got it." Then, "I should have been driving in the first place."

Aisha followed closely as Gene made his way to a speaker at the far end of the gate. It looked as if it were brand new, and according to the story Jim told her, it probably was.

"Oh no...not you again..." Aisha jumped as the speaker crackled to life. Immediately, Gene ripped the thing off of the wall. The voice continued to complain all the way to the ground.

"Damn thing..." he muttered. "AISHA!"

The Ctarl Ctarl knew her cue. Outstretching her claws as far as possible, she began to slowly pry open the gate that lay in front of them. It began to bend and twist, until finally it fell in a heap onto the ground.

All three made their way swiftly into the building. Once they had gotten passed the main gate, it was all a simple journey. The building was not that complicated, and in fact there was one main hall leading to every room there. The whole design made it easier for the three intruders to make their way farther and farther inward.

Unfortunately, some security guards disagreed with the intruders' breaking and entering. With a few quick swipes from Suzuka, however, they were easily taken care of.

"Over here, Gene." Suzuka pulled him and Aisha over to a map hanging on the wall. It was a blueprint of the building, and it seemed to have been hung there for their convenience.

"HEY!" Aisha yelled, spotting the name 'Disona' in one of the rooms. "THAT MUST BE THAT GUYS PLACE!"

"Very good, Aisha, glad you figured that out so quick," Gene said sarcastically, heading up the hall.

"Well at least I NOTICED IT!" Aisha retorted.

Though it seemed a little strange that the building was not flowing with security guards by now, the three continued until they were at the office labeled 'Disona Cant'. Gene cautiously opened the door, but they did not find Melfina. In fact, forming three neat rows in the middle of the large room, was a brigade of security guards, all armed with heavy weapons. These weren't the regular old security guards either, and Gene could tell they had been trained.

"It's a trap...dang," he muttered.

"Look who's being OBSERVANT NOW!" Aisha snapped. Once again, she outstretched her claws for the fight she knew was soon to follow.

*****

"Hm...your friends were causing a little bit of trouble at the main office, I see."

Melfina drew back in disgust as Cant began to come nearer. She was sitting in another room now, and much like the other one, it was richly furnished.

"I didn't think that they'd be coming after you, but it looks like I may have miscalculated." He smiled menacingly. "Of course, it is all taken care of."

Melfina shuddered. "What do you mean 'taken care of'?"

"Well, once I heard that your friends had so rudely entered my building without permission, I had the security force put together a little team. Your friends should be just about finished off."

Melfina's eyes widened. "No..."

"Yes. But you will have to forget about hem for now. Right now we are going to take a look at my new ship."

A feeling of dread washed over Melfina, but not for Gene and the others. She knew that they would somehow make it out all right. The dread was for what she was to be used for: to complete this disgusting man's collection. To navigate his ship.

As Cant and his men led her into the chamber holding the ship, she stared straight ahead, not even moving when the exact duplicate of the Outlaw Star slowly rose before her. She didn't care about it. In fact, she hated it. It may have looked like the ship she knew and loved, but it wasn't. And inside there would be no Gene. No Jim. No Gilliam. Only Cant.

"Well my dear..." Cant seemed to watch Melfina intently as his men led her up into the main room of the ship.

Everything was exactly the same as the Outlaw Star. The color, the seats, everything.

"Now, I heard that you have to....um..._strip_ down to the skin in order to navigate..." Cant watched her, waiting for any sign of movement. She was surprised that he didn't know what to do. But she hadn't seen and researchers or anything either.

Instead of answering his implied order, she just stood still. He looked confused for a moment, but then smiled slyly.

"Well, I figured it wouldn't be easy. I see we will need some way to persuade you?"

Suddenly, a hatch in the ship opened. The computer, who sounded almost exactly like Gilliam, came to life as soon as the unknown man entered. Melfina had been wrong; in through the hatch came Cant's main research/scientist. He was small and thin, with pure white hair and a slim face. At first one would think of him as a nice old man, but Melfina knew that in those gray blue eyes was evil.

"I see you are having some trouble..." The scientist's voice was smooth, and yet at the same time it was forceful. "You know, in order to navigate this ship, the girl needs to get into the navigation chamber..." He left everything unfinished, and his voice trailed off.

Cant's face was turning red with anger. "Yes I know," he tried to say calmly. "BUT THE GIRL WON'T BUDGE! We need a way to get her in there! We can't do it by force, she has to get in that tube thing by herself!" He glared at her menacingly, and she turned away.

"Hmmm, well I once knew a man with her internal coding, but of course now he is dead..." The scientist seemed to be thinking out loud. "Of course, you could always lower her into the chamber. It does everything from there.

With sudden realization, Cant ordered his men to do so. "OF COURSE!" he practically yelled.

Melfina felt herself being lifted into the air. Like an animal, they dragged her over to the entrance of the navigational tube that she was so used to being in. They pushed her onto the platform. Immediately she felt herself being pulled downward, and then up, like so many times before. Only, when she entered the navigation tube, she did not feel safe. She felt exposed, staring out into the faces of these strange men. Immediately she felt her face becoming warm. It was just like the time when Harry McDougall had decided to take a peek at her, but the difference was that Gene was not there to stop them.

The faces behind the glass began to come closer, and she saw Mr. Cant smile with pleasure. The scientist who had entered the ship earlier sat down in the captain's seat, a place Gene would normally have been sitting in. With a jolt, Melfina felt the computer accessing her mind. 

"Okay, Mr. Cant, everything seems ready if you would like to see how it all works..." Again, his words left a question hanging in the air.

"All right then. I think I will." With one last, triumphant grin, Mr. Cant took the place of the scientist. As he began pushing different buttons, Melfina couldn't help but think that he was the new Gene in her life, now.

*****

"MREEEEEEEEOOWWWWWWWWW!" Aisha screamed as she launched herself at one of the men standing before her. Her claws were now drawn, and in her eyes held the rage only her friends were so used to.

But Aisha wasn't the only one ready. With one swift hand motion, Suzuka's deadly wooden sword was drawn. She too picked out one of the men, and with lightning speed took him down. 

"Ah, so ya wanna mess with me, eh?" Gene pointed his antique gun at the security guard before him. "Then you gotta be prepared to DIE!" The gunshot shook the room, surprising the trio's opponents.

"DAMMIT GENE LEMME DO MY WORK!" Aisha yelled, shoving her victim into the wall. 

"THEN LEMME DO MINE!" Gene yelled back, firing another shot into the wall. 

Suddenly another shot rang out in the room. It was much quieter than all the others, and instead of a guard falling, it was Aisha who fell. 

"Aisha!" Gene, forgetting about what he was doing, ran to her side. There, protruding out of her arm was a large needle. "Wha...? Poison?" But then he noticed Aisha's chest: it was slowly and methodically rising, and she was softly snoring. "Tranquilizer..." No sooner had he said the words, when he felt a needle enter his own arm. Everything seemed to swim before his eyes as he slowly sank to the floor. The last thing he realized was that Suzuka was doing th same.

*****

Jim had heard the gunshots in the building, but didn't move. He had not received any sort of communication from Gene, so he figured everything was going well....until the gunshots ceased. Everything suddenly became deadly silent, and a feeling of dread began to make its way through his body.

"Gene?" No answer came from the speaker he held. "ANIKI! Come IN!" Still, only silence greeted the boy. "ANIKI--" Without warning a large hand clamped itself over Jim's mouth. Instinctively, the boy bit down as hard he could.

"YOU LITTLE--" The man grabbed hold of Jim as he tried desperately to get out of the vehicle. "YOU DREW BLOOD YOU RAT!" And with that said, the man knocked Jim over the head, silencing his cries.

*****

"I SAID ACCESS THE MEMORY!"

Melfina winced as Mr. Cant began to bang on the glass of her 'enclosure'. The disgusting man had tried t get her to make the ship run, but with no prevail. She simply refused to make it go. Not only did she strongly dislike this man, but she had promised herself a long time ago that she would never run a ship for anyone except Gene and the true crew of the Outlaw Star. This man, this monster, would never get her to run the ship. At least, that's what she told herself.

"Isn't there ANYWAY that we could MAKE her!!!???" Mr. Cant's face was now a bright shade of red, as he scremed in the scientist's face.

"Technically, no. There is no way I know of to force her to run the ship. Psychologically..."

"Whaddya mean 'psychologically'?"

The scientist didn't answer. Instead, he handed the bewildered Mr. Cant a message board. The screen on it flickered to life, and Mr. Cant began to read. Slowly, a look of understanding crossed his eyes, eliminating all shades of anger that were there before. "You can rest for now, deary." Melfina cringed at the evil in his voice. "We have a little surprise for you."

To be continued...

*ooooooooO I liked this chapter better. Okay okay, I know what you are all thinkin'...'she's acting like a fan who's just read this thing!' Well...the truth is....I DO IT ALL THE TIME! I try and view my fics as through the eyes of a fan. It makes em seem....more....um....got any ideas?


	5. Battle of the Mind

A Voice in the Dark

By: Anime Angel ^0^

"LEMME GO!" Jim screamed. He struggled as best he could against the plastic bonds that held his arms together, but nothing seemed to be working. 

Jim had woken up in a large room. He figured he had been out at least an hour or so, judging by the large lump on his head. As far as he could tell, he was alone. The room was small and dark, having no windows and one exit. It was completely empty, and reminded Jim of a storage hold on the Outlaw Star.

"I SAID LET ME OUT!" Jim sighed in exhaustion as his cry echoed throughout the room. It was no use, he knew, but the boy figured that there was no harm in trying.

"DAMN YOU ALL!"

Jim sat up straighter at the sound of the voices outside. They sounded familiar, especially the loud cursing one, but there was too much of an echo to tell if they were his friends or not. 

His questions were soon answered. The door in front of him slid open. Light flooded the room and blinded Jim for a moment, but he could make out the shadows of three men. As his eyes adjusted, he realized that one of the men was Gene. 

With a rough push, the red-haired outlaw stumbled into the room and landed conveniently next to his younger partner. 

"Weeelll hello there Jim-boy!" Gene said cheerfully, putting himself in a sitting position. His arms and legs were bound with plastic _also. Good ol Aniki_, Jim thought as he wearily smiled at his partner. The door slid shut once again, leaving the two in the dark.

"Where are Suzuka and Aisha?" Jim enquired. He scanned Gene for injuries, but the only bruise his reckless partner seemed to have was one around his eye. "And would you mind telling me what happened?"

"Well, you see, we were sorta met with a welcoming party. Only, 'stead of presents, they gave me this." He pointed to the swollen eye. "Not to mention that they knocked us all out with tranquilizers." He chuckled. "Aisha was probably givin' them such a hard time that they had to put her in her own cell!"

Jim sighed. "HOW can you be laughing at a time like this, you ...aw never mind." There was no point in starting an argument. "Ya know, someday you're gonna get us all killed."

"Hey you're the one who wanted to be my partner, remember? Ya don't like it--"

"Yeah yeah....then LEAVE," Jim finished. "So have you seen Mel?" Jim's voice was quieter this time as he looked into Gene's eyes. "Do you think she's all right?"

"Yeah yeah! Mel's a grown girl. I'm sure she's juuuuuuust fine."

"Yeah, I know. But still....you were supposed to save her. Now all the good we're doing is decorating this room!"

"Oh come on! This fits perfectly into my plans. Ya see Jim, I got em right where I wannem. And when they next come back...POW!" 

"What do you mean 'POW'?" Jim was starting to get annoyed at his partner. 

"I'll...think of something..."

"Yah, sure ya will."

"Hey! I come up with better ideas than you, my boy!"

"Hell NO!"

"Hell yeah--" Gene's words were cut off as the door slid open once again.

"You two, get up," a gruff voice ordered. The man it belonged to stepped further into the room.

"I would get up....only these bonds you see are tying me TOGETHER!" 

"Oh you think you're smart, donchya? Well we see who's smart after the boss gets done with you two." With the wave of a hand, two larger men entered the now crowded storage area. One man helped Gene to his feet and pushed him into the hall, while the other picked Jim up and slung him over his shoulders.

"Hey!" Jim yelled indignantly. "I am capable of walking you know!" His captor only laughed, and continued onward. Soon Jim began to relax his tense muscles. 

The hall, Jim noticed, was much like that of a starship. Could they be in one? From his upside-down position, Jim could see his partner perfectly. _Funny,_ Jim thought,_ he seems to know where we are..._ Jim's thoughts snapped back to reality as they reached the end of the hall. The place was all too familiar to him, but how he didn't know. As the group entered the room in front of them, Jim was greeted with something he never expected; they were in the control-room of the Outlaw Star. At least, it was a bridge that _resembled_ the Outlaw Star's. Soon, a reality thought began to dawn on Jim. His eyes slowly shifted to the back of the room. There, just as she would have been in their ship, was Melfina.

*****

_No! What are they doing here? _Melfina watched with dread as Jim and Gene were dragged into the control-room. She noticed how surprised Jim looked when he finally locked eyes with her. Melfina lowered her head. Did he hate her? After all, it _was_ her fault that they were all there, trapped. Wasn't it?

"M...Mel?" 

Melfina looked up at the sound of Jim's small voice. She noticed Cant, silently watching, and a knot began to form in her stomach. She recalled what the man had said: 'We have a little surprise for you...' _No,_ Melfina thought. They wouldn't do what she was thinking, would they? 

"See, we brought your friends, my dear." Cant slowly made his way over to the two. He eyed Gene suspiciously. "This one looks like a rough character, eh Nisan?"

The scientist merely chuckled. "Yes yes. A rough one..." Melfina wasn't sure, but it almost seemed as if the scientist, Nisan, was laughing at Mr. Cant.

"And the boy..." Cant slowly made his way again, past the silent Gene, to Jim. He bent over, staring into the boy's sky blue eyes. "So this is the one that gave my bounty hunter so much trouble!" He began to laugh, and Melfina felt herself growing angry. "The man must have been a weak fighter, to be troubled by a little runt like this boy!" Melfina's face grew warm again, but this time with anger.

"At least he wasn't some fat ass like you!" Jim retorted, his face red.

"Why you little..." Cant's face was red again. He straightened up, and to her surprise he looked straight at Melfina. "I told you I had a little surprise," he sneered. "Well here it is." With that said Cant kicked Jim as hard as he could in the ribs. There was a sickening snap as the boy doubled over in pain. 

"NO!" Melfina yelled from inside the glass. Her words seemed to echo throughout the room. _This can't be happening! Not again!_ "Stop it!" It was as if that night was repeating over again. 

"HEY!" Gene piped up. He struggled against his captor, and the plastic bonds that held him. "You mess with him, you mess with me ya hear?!" Cant merely laughed at his attempt of a threat.

"And what are you going to do?" With a snap of his fingers, Gene was also kicked in the side. "May I remind you that I have _you_ captured. It isn't the other way around."

"Yeah, well it won't be like that for long you bastard," Gene muttered, sitting back up. 

Ignoring Gene's insults, Cant turned back to Melfina. "You see, girl, if you don't do EXACTLY what I tell you, your friends here will have to be punished....starting with the boy." 

"N...no!" Melfina shook her head. She wasn't going to do this. She wouldn't let this man access her mind. She had promised herself never to run the ship for anyone but Gene. 

"Don't listen Mel." 

Melfina looked back out at the small boy. 

"Don't listen," he repeated. "Mel if you do what he says--" His words were cut off with another sharp kick in the stomach. 

"HEY NOW PORKY!" Cant whirled around at Gene's insult. The outlaw's eyes seemed to glow with anger. "Don't go doin' none of that!" With one swift movement, Gene swung his legs under the man who was holding him. He jumped to his feet, and surprisingly he didn't fall over the bonds.

"GET HIM!" Cant screamed, his puffy cheeks now almost a bright shade of purple. "GET HIM AND KILL HIM!" 

"I don't think so FATTY!" Gene pulled his legs apart, snapping the apparently already cut bonds.

"How...how..."

"Easy. You see your guards aren't the brightest men in the world, even if they ARE trained professionals." Gene pulled apart the bonds holding his arms together, only to reveal that he had a knife. "They forgot to check me for weapons," he said smugly.

"YOU IDIOTS!" Cant roared. He noticed his men, who were not going after the outlaw. "I TOLD YOU TO KILL HIM!" 

"R...right boss!" The men moved toward Gene quickly, pulling out their guns. "D..don't move...." one of them stammered. 

"Afraid of me, eh?" Gene swung his knife toward them, and they backed away in fear. "HA! Where did you get these--AH!" 

"Gene!" Melfina tried to say something as the tranquilized outlaw fell to the floor.

"You bastards!" Jim screamed. "NO ANIKI!"

"Heh...fell for the same thing twice I see. You aren't as smart as you thought you were, huh Gene Starwind." Cant turned to Melfina, the purple in his cheeks dying down to a low pink. "Now. You WILL start the ship for me, darling..."

"No! I promised I wouldn't!" She shook her head again. _No, you have to! If you don't they will kill Gene and Jim...even Aisha and Suzuka!_ _But I promised...I promised myself, and I promised Gene! All of them! I can't--_ Her thoughts were interrupted with a sharp grunt form Jim. "Please..." she pleaded. If she could have cried then, she would have. But no tears came. "Please no...no you don't understand! I..I promised Hilda...and Gene!" If she started the ship, if she navigated, it would go against everything she had been taught. 'Never break you promises!' Gene had told her jokingly one time. Unknown to him, however, she had taken it seriously. He had been keeping his promise to her, and she was sure that he would always keep it. So then how could she break _her_ promise?

"I'm getting impatient. I have plenty of your friend, it wouldn't matter if I killed this one off now, WOULD IT?!" Cant motioned to one of his men, who picked the still bound Jim off of the floor. "Now...I am going to count to ten, and push the button. If this ship doesn't start..." He made a sick snapping sound. "...then I really doubt the kid will live to see his next birthday." The man holding Jim placed a large hand around the boy's neck. "Now then....shall we start? One....two.....three....."

Melfina was bewildered. Surely if she broke this promise to save Jim's life, they wouldn't blame her! But then she remembered their faces when Gene had told her so happily never to break promises. They had all trusted her so much...

"Eight......" Cant was drawing out the counting, Melfina knew, but it wouldn't help. She was just so confused. "N...in...e!"

No...what would she do? _Think Melfina THINK!_

"TEN!" Cant pushed down on the keys as hard as he could...and waited. 

_NO I HAVE TO START THE SHIP! _Melfina's mind screamed. _I have to now! _But she couldn't: her mind was too distracted. She wasn't concentrating.

"I....told you...to START....THE DAMN...SHIP!" Cant screamed. "That's IT! KILL THE BOY NOW! You're gonna pay, girl, YOU HEAR ME!?"

"NO!" Melfina screamed. She had used that words so many times that week, but this time there was meaning. "I won't LET YOU!" As the Cant's gooney prepared to end Jim's life, the ship's lights went dark. 

"What the hell?!"

"You won't kill him, I won't let you!" Melfina repeated. Without any warning whatsoever, the twin Gilliam began to shriek. (AN: okay okay....this is sorta STUPID!but hey....is it enjoyable? ) 

"There....there......is.....is....something....something......." the twin Gilliam stuttered. "Wrong......wrong....." The computer's words died slowly, ending finally with a small 'click'.

"What is going on!?" The scientist didn't respond to Cant's question. 

"I WANT YOU TO ALL GO AWAY!" Melfina screamed. She couldn't control herself, and so the ship was reacting along with her emotions. "Just leave us alone! ALL OF YOU!" Suddenly, bolts of electricity shot up from the various control panels around the room. Mr. Cant, she noticed, was unfortunate enough to have his hand still on the board.

"DAMMIT!" he screamed as his arm twisted and turned in the shock. He fell to the floor in a heap, unconscious. Nisan, the scientist, got up quickly. 

"Forget about those two!" he yelled, for once finishing the sentence. "If THAT GIRL gets too angry, THIS THING WILL GO DOWN!" At once the men began to exit. Jim was dropped to the floor, and Cant was left lying, unconsciously, next to the now burning panel. 

"Mel! We have to get out of here!" At the sound of Jim's strangled voice, Melfina snapped to attention. What had she done? She realized, in horror, that in her anger she was destroying the ship, along with the lives still aboard.

"MELFINA!" Jim screamed. The fire was spreading throughout the ship, coming dangerously close to both Gene _and_ his younger partner. 

"I'm coming!" Melfina slowly forced her mind to concentrate, and soon she was back out in the air, fully dressed once again. Unfortunately she had both the sleeping Gene, and the immobile Jim to carry out. 

"QUICK! Hand me something to cut these with! GENE'S KNIFE!" Jim yelled. Melfina searched frantically around the boy.

"Where is it?" She moved her hand around desperately near the fallen outlaw. "Oh no...IT HAS TO BE HERE!"

"Quick!" Jim yelled. "Get Gene outside!" 

"No! There are too many halls I have to go through! I won't get back in time!" An immense feeling of depression and dread began to slowly engulf Melfina's mind, just like the fire was about to engulf her friends. She had tried to save her them, but now she was killing them all. Aisha and Suzuka would slowly die of smoke inhalation, and Jim and Gene would die with her, burning to death like some horrible sacrifice. "No...Jim...I'm so sorry..."

"What do you mean Mel? NO! You can't give up!" Melfina slowly sunk to the floor. "Listen Mel!" Jim pleaded frantically. "You can do it! I know you can! You just have to try...!"

Melfina looked down at the young boy in front of her. The fire behind them reflected orange in his bright blue eyes. Slowly, without a word, she began get up.

"YES YES!" Jim cried. "Hurry Mel, PLEASE!" 

"What....what do you want me to do?" 

"Take Gene, and go find Suzuka and Aisha! THEY HAVE TO BE AWAKE! I'm sure of it!" 

"Jim NO! You'll DIE!" But, without any further instructions from the young boy, she lifted Gene off the burning floor, and made her way through the flames, just as he had told her to do. She rushed through the door in a wisp of smoke, and breathed deeply. The hall was still untouched by the flames, and the smoke, so she headed down the long corridor. 

"Melfina? WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!" 

Melfina whirled around at the sound of Aisha's voice, nearly dropping Gene on the floor. "AISHA! SUZUKA! The ship is burning, YOU HAVE TO HELP JIM!"

"Where is he?!" Aisha yelled, looking in all directions. Her ears twitched, picking up the sound of the fire. "I hear the fire, but no Jim!"

"I'll show you!" Melfina shrieked. She transferred the sleeping Gene over to Suzuka.

"Don't worry you two, I'll wait out here," the assassin said, leaning Gene against a wall. 

As quickly as she could, Melfina lead the Ctarl Ctarl down the main corridor, all the way to the main room. When the doors flew open, the two were greeted with the bright orange flames. The fire was bigger now, and Melfina gasped. She couldn't see Jim at all.

To be continued... 

*ACK! I didst not like that chapter....but I will let yall decide on it. If you have a very strong opinion, please REVIEW! Oh dear...on to write the next!


	6. Voice Through the Dark

A Voice in the Dark

By: Anime Angel ^0^

"NO JIM!" Melfina screamed, as the flames began to engulf the ground around her. She sank to the floor, all traces of hope gone. "It's my fault," she whispered, her eyes tearing over. "Jim..." A hand clasped down hard on her shoulder, and, whirling around, she realized it was Gene. 

"But...but how...?"

"Come one, Mel. Don't give up one him now," Gene said, motioned to the bed of flames. Puzzled, she looked in the direction of his hand and faintly, silhouetted against the smoke, she could see the shadow of Aisha. 

Before Melfina could say anything else, Gene was rushing into the fire after the Ctarl Ctarl. 

"No not you too!" Mel cried. She was so scared...scared that she would lose the people she cared about most. Slowly, all around her, the flames began to spread. But still she sat, staring straight into the fiery inferno that held her friend's lives by a thread. She just prayed that that thread wouldn't snap. 

*****

"Hang on there Jim," Gene said, following Aisha through the fire. The boy lay limply in his arms, covered in soot, but as far as Gene could tell he hadn't been burned...at least not too badly.

"This WAY!" Aisha yelled in front of him, pulling him to the side. Ahead of them, through the flames, he could barely make out the outline of the exit to the main hall. The outlaw took in a sharp breath of air as the two flew into the hall, but regretted it immediately; the once clear hall was now filled with smoke. 

He was about to get out of there, when he realized someone was missing. "Wait a minute, where's Mel?!" he yelled back at Aisha, looking in all directions for the girl. 

"She's over here! I got 'er Gene, get OUTTA HERE!" Gene waited for the Ctarl Ctarl to pick up Melfina's now unconscious body, before turning and running towards the exit, the flames licking at his heels. 

*****

Melfina felt the tears roll down her cheeks. It seemed that crying had been all she had done for the past couple of weeks, but she couldn't stop either. Opening her eyes, she realized that she was alone. 

"Gene?" she called out, confused. One minute she had been in smoke, the next... 

_Oh no, JIM!_ she thought. A feeling of dread began to wash over her. _No, it can't be!_ She whirled around in a panic, but in every direction the darkness seemed to follow. _No, I let him die..._ Hot wet tears continued to cloud her vision. _I let them all die. I let them all down. _Not caring where she was, or what had happened to her, Melfina collapsed on the ground, but the ground wasn't there. She felt herself falling, but not the falling she had experienced before. It was as if a gentle hand were cradling her, and guiding her down.

"Mel!!"

Melfina slowly sat up at the sound of the voice. Had she really heard it?

"Mel....please..."

"Gene?" Melfina brushed a strand of tear soaked hair out of her eyes. "Gene!" Her cries were growing more desperate. She was frightened; she was frightened for Gene, and for Jim, and for herself. 

"Mel....don't leave us!" The voice echoed all around her, quietly at first, but then growing louder. She realized that it was not Gene's voice she was hearing, but much quieter. Like a boy's...

"Jim?!" Melfina was now crying harder, her body shaking with every sob. "Jim, I'm so sorry..." But the voice persisted, ignoring her apologies. 

"Mel, we need you." 

"No!" Melfina cried. They didn't need her, did they? She was the only one who could navigate and run the Outlaw Star, but was it more than just that?

"Mel, come on girl." It was Gene's voice this time, she was sure of it. Gentle and reassuring, but strong at the same time -- that was the outlaw all right. "Come on, snap out of it. We're gonna need someone to cook around here..."

Before Melfina could think any further of what he had said, a smile began to form beneath the tears. She remembered the last time that Gene had tried to cook. The smoke, the panicked outlaw...it all seemed so near. And slowly, as more memories flooded her mind, the darkness around her began to disappear.

*****

"Melfina!" Jim exclaimed. He hopped onto the bed next to the waking girl, his eyes bright. "Mel!" he repeated as her eyes fluttered. 

"Hey there, Jim, settle down." Gene glared at his coughing younger partner for a moment, before returning his focus to Melfina.

"I'm fine, Aniki," Jim snapped. He noticed a soft smile slowly creeping over Melfina's face, and soon the bio-android's large eyes were completely open. She began to sit up, but Gene pushed her back onto the pillow. 

"I think for now, Mel, it'd be best if you just rested for a little while." 

"You're....you're all okay..." she whispered, the relief evident in her voice. 

"Besides being a little black, we're just fine," Gene reassured her, sitting down on the bed also. He gave her a goofy, lopsided smile and ran a hand through his sooty once red hair.

"Yeah...you'd better thank me! My beautiful fur...IT'S SINGED!" Aisha whined, her nose wrinkling. "Such a delicate creature shouldn't have to go through something such as that. MREOOW!" she wailed, brushing her fur.

"I thought...I thought that..." Melfina lowered her head. Could she really tell them? Would they understand how she felt?

"Yeah, I know." Melfina looked up at Jim, his eyes were soft and understanding....as if he knew what she was talking about. But how? 

Gene gave the boy a puzzled look, but then shook it off. 

"Look, I'm gonna go...um...wash up. So, just don't get too excited Jim," Gene said, sensing that his younger partner knew something he didn't. With that he went off to go take a shower, dragging the somewhat blackened Aisha out of the room with him. Suzuka followed close behind. 

"What do you mean?" Melfina looked deep into his blue eyes, searching for an answer. How could he know what she felt? All of her feelings, she had kept them in for so long. So how could he know?

Jim lowered his head, obviously deep in thought. When he raised it again, his eyes were sadder, almost sorry.

"I....I don't know. I just..." he paused, thinking again. "That night Mel, the night before you left... I remember having a dream. You were there, talking to me. Only, you were so sad. In that dream Mel, you were telling me that you felt like you were hurting us...like all you were good for was navigating the ship. You said that you needed to leave us alone, that you wanted us to be safe." He looked up into her deep eyes. "That we didn't need you for anything else." Sadness filled his voice. "Only it wasn't a dream, was it Mel?"

"Jim...you....you heard it all?" She recalled that night, all the feelings she had confessed to the sleeping boy. She felt suddenly embarrassed, and warmth began to creep over her cheeks. "I...I was just babbling Jim. I didn't know what I was talking about--"

"Mel, we need you," he interrupted. His voice was the same, the same as it had been when she was alone... "I don't care what anyone says. You can't listen to others, Melfina. We need you; all of us need you. Hell, I don't think I could keep Gene in line by myself." He smiled. "You're like family."

"But, it's because of me that you two are always getting into so much trouble. Wouldn't your lives be a lot easier if I weren't here...a lot more worry free?"

"Look, Melfina. Gene wouldn't be able to stand it if you were gone for good. I mean, you should have seen him when he first realized you had gone. He didn't know what to do!" Jim grinned at her. "It was the first time he woke up before ten o' clock in the morning." He paused, but when she didn't respond, he continued. "Not to mention Aisha was throwing a fit. And Suzuka...I've never seen her pollish that sword so much."

"And you?"

"I was worried Mel. I thought, well, maybe you had left because of me."

This time it was Melfina's turn to smile -- and it was genuine this time. Slowly, like Aisha had done so many times before, she reached over and ruffled his hair. 

"So, how was Gene's cooking while I was gone?" she said, a playful look in her eyes. She sat up and waited for his answer.

"Oh man. I don't think this place has ever come so close to going up in flames." Jim laughed, and then hopped off onto the floor. "Well, you rest Mel. I gotta go take a shower before Gene uses up all the hot water." With one last smile, he left Melfina alone to rest, and think.

She recalled what he had said, that they all needed her, and a feeling of belonging crept over her. Melfina carefully laid back down, her head sinking into the soft pillow. Staring at the ceiling, memories began to flash before her again. They were memories of the past, before she had lost Hilda and met Gene. Her life had been so empty then, emptier even than when she had been trapped and alone with that man. And now... _Now I feel so much better. _The heavy burden that had been haunting her was gone. All of the feelings that had been following her, they were now set free. But most of all, Melfina felt more at ease. For the first time in a long time, she felt as if she truly belonged among the outlaws, and Gene. 

Just as she was about to close her eyes, she heard a loud crash come from the next room.

"GENE GET OUT OF HERE YOU SICKO!" 

Puzzled, Melfina got out of bed and made her way to the door. There, standing dripping wet and in an a towel, was Aisha, yelling at a whimpering Gene on the ground before her. He two, had a towel wrapped around his waist.

"I WAS TAKING A SHOWER GENE! YOU PERVERT!" With that said, the Ctarl Ctarl slammed the bathroom door. 

"FINE!" Gene called after. "Next time LOCK THE DOOR!" 

Melfina laughed as he turned to face her, his face red with embarrassment. 

"Uh...hi Mel...." 

Melfina smiled. "So Gene...having bad luck with the women?"

"No...NO IT WAS NOTHING LIKE THAT! I just sorta walked in on her..."

Melfina could only continue to smile. She was home all right.

*M'kay! I guess it's finally done now. Um....was it okay? I got some great reviews on it! So it musta been not that bad... Thanks to all of those who reviewed it! I will be writing more...just on a different story. ^ ^


End file.
